676 Beaufort St
Mount Lawley, WA 6050
08 9371 9971
Facebook
Hours:
Mon-Fri 11:30 am - 10:30 pm
Sat 8 am - 11 pm
Sun 8 am - 4 pm
I have tried almost everything at Circa, as I was a regular visitor when I lived in Mount Lawley.
THE PLACE
Occupying what once Diva was, Circa revamped and upgraded the space but kept the layout. They added a cushioned seating area, some Art-deco elements of decoration and turned the café into a simple elegant one. I love all the Art-deco items of decoration (the starry mirror, the hand lamps, and the horny chandelier at the top area). At night, the candlelights and the subdued lighting create a cozy, romantic and chic ambience.
The place is always
clean and tidy and rarely crowded. The place attracts people from all ages looking for a quite place with nice food to
catch up and relax.
They have clean very nice toilets, as well.
THE FOOD
I have been there for breakfast, lunch and dinner, quite often, and this is so because they have a small but interesting menu. Sometimes the food has been delicious and done to perfection, while others (even for the same dish) the dish was just nice (aka mediocre). The fact remains that after so many visits, their food has never wowed me, but it has never let me down either;there is a lack of consistency in the quality of the dishes. Many times I told myself, this dish would be great just if.., only if the added... They have great ideas, but the realisation of some dishes lacks that j'ai ne sais quoi that brings any dish to a level up. There are a few dishes that I thought were great (the Roasted Root Vegetables, chorizo and manchego toasts, the beetroot ravioli, the beetroot infused salmon breakfast, and some of their pasta dishes), while others were average (Spanish eggs with pecorino, polenta chips, some of their breakfasts, some of their pasta dishes).
They have a really nice chart of wines, my favourit was the Calo Rioja Tempranillo, worth every cent of the 11 dollars per glass I paid.
Portions are always on the small side for mains, something that bothers me a lot. If I am charged a lot of money for a main dish I want a decent serving portion, unless I am in a fine dine restaurant, which is not the case.
COFFEE AND DESSERTS
They have always had a nice selection of desserts at Circa, but, like the food, they could have been great but they got aborted midway, lacking technique and authenticity at times. Yet, lovely overall.
Regarding their coffee, they use Origins Coffee, which is not amongst my favourite beans, as it is lacks in flavour. However, they prepare a good coffee even though the quality varies from barista to barista.
SERVICE
The staff are always lovely, some of them extremely friendly. The serving tempo is not bad, on the slow side at times, perfect others. The staff are often distracted (even when the place is half full) and their warmth and willingness to please gets blended with a lack of attention to the most important thing in the restaurant - customers. In the past I have seen people leaving the restaurant because they got tired of waiting a waiter approaching them to take their order despite the place being with few clients.
PRICING
Although
the food is really nice, this cafe has always been overpriced for what they serve. My opinion. More expensive than Cantina 663 at times for dishes
that do not match the quality of Cantina's kitchen.
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
>> I know that in these days using foreign names for the ingredients and dishes is the last new thing. I don't have a problem with that if what I get in the plate is what it is supposed to be or it has the essence of the dish. For example, if you call something a "mousse" I expect something to have the consistency of a mousse, and to be fluffy and light. If you call something "pannacotta" I expect the consistency and texture of the pannacotta. That sort of thing. Please don't mislead.
>> Their dinner menu has (or used to have) most of the things you find for lunch. Why not creating a complete different menu for dinner?
>> They didn't have specials for ages. Then they started offering some specials, but not regularly or changing them frequently. That is not good for them. You can cross the street and go to Cantina 663 that succeeds at keeping a huge amount of regulars by constantly renewing their menu.
>> They need to
work on their music. There is a mismatch of tunes. If you want to create
a certain atmosphere you need integrity and consistency in the music.
The selection is better at night but, in general, music create ambience
or destroys it, if you know what I am saying.
>> I think the methacrylate chairs don't blend well with the Art-Deco woody style of the place. They feel odd to me. But this is just a personal preference.
IN SHORT
Overall Circa is a lovely place, with lovely food, high prices and nice staff. Some of their dishes and desserts will surprise you for good, and others will let you indifferent but with a big bill. The perfect place to catch up and great for night dates.
647 Beaufort St
Mt Lawley WA 6050
Mount Lawley
Phone (08) 9328 7775
Website
This is an icon of Beaufort Street. It has been in that spot for years, since I moved to Perth and Mount Lawley many years ago.
The shop is small and a bit crowded, but the space has been well taken advantage of, and you can buy most things you would want from a chemist, beyond prescription medication: organic body-care and cosmetics, perfumes, basic emergency kit items, condoms, over the counter basics, spectacles stuff (very convenient for spectacled people :))) cute little thingies that you might be tempted to get but you don't need...
The staff will let you browse around, if you tell them that is what your want, or give you personalised attention. I have found this to be the case every time I have visited, no matter what I wanted was proper medication, over the counter medication or just hygiene or cosmetic products.
The major downside of the place are the prices, higher than in other chemist around for the same stuff. However, this is a 24/7 and we have to pay for the convenience of having them awake and open when we need them. Amen.
Shop 4
669 Beaufort St
Mt Lawley Western Australia 6050
Mount Lawley
Phone: (08) 9271 8409
Facebook
I love Mr Munchies for the freshness of their food, the creativity of their rolls and the fast and friendly service.
PIZZICATO FIVE
1= Mr Munchies is a superhero that creates unique-looking and unique-tasting rolls with the magic of his fingers. The sort of roll that you don't find elsewhere and is prepared on the spot, fresh and yummy. They not only have a menu of set rolls, they have seasonal and special ones, so regulars get enthralled, excited and their stomach Astro-boyed with the news. Among the set rolls, the seafood roll is my fav so far, but I have liked also the Mexican Roll and the Chicken Mango. The Pork Hei roll, a special at this very moment, it is just fabulous. If you are the fancy-individualistic e-sushi type, you can make your own rolls on order, you tell them which ingredients you want, the size you want, the colour you want, and they work fast as machines so you smile when you get your u-roll.
2= They ingredients they use are x-F (extremely fresh) and you can select a HR (half roll), or a FR (full roll) which is perfect to suit any stomach size or craving.
3= The Munchies do bother with the presentation, and that is extra points they make with me. After all we eat as much with our eyes as we do with our mouths.
4= They have a nice selection of sides, and of non-alcoholic Western and Asian drinks.
5= Mr Munchies is fairly priced and you get a good return for the money you invest in your stomach..
GONG FOR NIHON!
+ Location Location. Heart of Mt Lawley but hidden from the view of non superheroes and explorers.
+ Nice cozy corner on the mural wall.
+ Dine in or take-away.
+ Dine inside or on the walled bench outside if you are in a hurry or just there is no room inside.There is no option. You've been warned.
+ All the staff members are welcoming and very friendly.
+ Service is fast.
+ Nice vibe.
BANG!
- The storage area is inside the shop, so that is a bit down and creates a mixed-up feeling of "where the heck am I?".
- The rice on the rolls is not properly set for rolling, so the rolls crumble and collapse as soon as you touch them, falling foolishly onto their tiny longitudinal serving dishes or onto the table. The fact that the seaweed used inside is a bit stiff does not help to prevent the crumbling of the Munch, so you could find yourself, well composed, looking like a lady with half a roll hanging in space between your teeth and your chin. No photo, please.
SOON (PLEASE)!
? Remove the dam boxes from the shop and find another one where to pile them up!
? Work on the setting of the rice so it does not collapse. If Donburi or Aisuru can prepare fresh rolls on the spot without the roll collapsing, Mr Munchis can do so, too.
? A slightly bigger dishes would be most convenient for mess-around people.
? A few more individual tables would suit better the tiny space of the shop, as they can be together to accommodate a group or separated to fit single or coupled eaters.
? They should work on their sweets and dessert menu, as it is very poor at the moment.
1/687 Beaufort Street
Mt Lawley Western Australia 605008 9272 7718
Website
Small facilities but well organised, semi-hidden at the bottom of the Mt Lawley Medical Centre.
The place works well, fast and fluidly every time I have visited.
The staff doing the imaging are very friendly and professional.
The staff at reception are matter of fact, but they do what they are supposed to do, and do it fast and well.
Results are fast passed on to Doctor, but customers have to collect the images personally. This is a bit backwards, as most radiological and imaging clinics post images directly via computer and the Internet nowadays.
Toilets need to be revamped and those horrible paintings on the wall removed.
